"I instigated it?" Du Jianshan was so angry he laughed: "Your brother Ma Jinbao blatantly withheld work points and turned black into white. Is this what you call following the rules?"

"I do the work of three people and only get the work points of one person. Is that considered having high ideological awareness?"

"You two siblings are putting on a show, one playing the good cop and the other the bad cop, do you think everyone else is a fool?"

"How dare you!" Ma Chunmei's face darkened, and she almost poked Du Jianshan's nose with her finger.

"What does 'deduction' mean? Work point assessment is a power granted to the scorekeeper by the organization!"

"Comrade Ma Jinbao was evaluated strictly according to production quotas and work performance!"

"You, Du Jianshan, think you can get special treatment just because you have some brute strength? And you want to get more work points?"

"Let me tell you! This is typical individualism! It's bourgeois hedonism! It's an attempt to undermine socialism!"

She became more and more agitated as she spoke, spittle flying everywhere: "Comrades! We came to the countryside to receive re-education from the poor and lower-middle peasants! We came to build up the frontier! Not to bargain or haggle over personal gains and losses!"

"Doing more work is what we should do! It's an honor! It's an expression of loyalty to the motherland! How can we haggle over work points like small vendors? What kind of behavior is that?"

"Bullshit!" Du Jianshan was furious.

What utter nonsense!

Does his ability mean he has to suffer more losses?

"I work hard to build up the frontier! But I'm not a beast that deserves to be exploited by you parasites!"

"Distribution according to work, more work more pay, that's the principle of socialism! Don't try to pin this on me, Ma Chunmei! I'm not buying it!"

"You! You're vulgar! You scoundrel!" Ma Chunmei trembled with anger.

“You and your brother are the real parasites, withholding work points and exploiting laborers!” Du Jianshan retorted without backing down.

"That's right! Ma Chunmei, stop pretending to be all high and mighty!"

"You two siblings are cut from the same cloth!"

"Slacking off and cheating, deducting work points! Disgusting!"

The crowd started arguing, and the scene became a complete mess.

"What are you doing! Shut up, all of you!"

A thunderous roar shook everyone's ears.

The crowd fell silent instantly, turning around in unison.

Company Commander Chen Jianshan appeared at the back of the crowd, his face ashen and his brows furrowed, and strode over.

He had just returned from the karez well construction site, his trousers still covered in wet mud.

"What's all this commotion? You don't want your work points anymore? You're not going to eat dinner?" Chen Jianshan's fierce eyes swept across the room, and everyone fell silent.

Ma Jinbao and Ma Chunmei rushed over as if they had seen a savior.

"Company Commander! You've finally arrived!" Ma Jinbao rushed to complain, "Du Jianshan led the trouble! He incited the masses! He resisted work points! He even wanted more work points! His ideology is extremely vile!"

"Company Commander, look at this!" Ma Chunmei also looked aggrieved: "This Du Jianshan is taking advantage of his strength, disobeying orders, and even insulting his comrades! He's undermining the unity of our educated youth team! He must be dealt with seriously!"

Chen Jianshan ignored them and fixed his gaze directly on Du Jianshan: "Du Jianshan, tell me! What happened?"

Du Jianshan took a deep breath and said loudly, "Reporting to the company commander! Today, I, Du Jianshan, have dug trenches that far exceed the quota in length, depth, and width. It's the work of at least three people!"

“The animals I’m in charge of pull the plow more efficiently than the others! According to the farm’s policy of ‘more work, more pay, and rewards for advanced workers,’ I request that my work points be recorded based on my actual labor output!”

"But Comrade Ma Jinbao only agreed to record one work point! He even accused me of seeking special privileges and undermining socialism!"

"Comrade Ma Chunmei immediately started to label me with serious accusations! I refuse to accept this!"

"Company commander, I just want to ask, are those of us who are good at working and willing to endure hardship destined to suffer losses?"

Chen Jianshan looked in the direction Du Jianshan pointed, and then at the questioning looks of the old commune members and educated youth next to him, he immediately understood eight or nine parts of the meaning.

He then looked at Ma Jinbao: "Ma Jinbao, is what Du Jianshan said true? Was the work he did worth three work points?"

Sweat beaded on Ma Jinbao's forehead as he stammered, "Company Commander, these quotas are fixed. His strength is his own business! I'm just following the rules..."

"Rules are rigid, but people are flexible!" Chen Jianshan abruptly interrupted him, his voice loud and clear, carrying an unquestionable authority.

"The farm's policy is clearly stated in black and white: encourage excellence, and reward hard work!"

"This is not to encourage egalitarianism, nor is it to allow you to become a shield for lazy people!"

His sharp gaze swept across the room, finally landing on Ma Jinbao and his brother: "I think some people are just used to slacking off and collecting work points! They can't stand seeing others do more or do better! They're afraid that if others get more, it will make them look lazy!"

Ma Jinbao and Ma Chunmei's faces turned pale instantly, and they lowered their heads, not daring to utter a sound.